The invention relates generally to snowboard boot binding systems, and specifically to a binding system allowing the foot to be easily rotated between a snowboarding and skateboarding position preset to any of a variety of stance angles.
Traditional skis are designed so that each foot of the skier, within its own boot, is firmly fastened to a ski oriented along the center line of the ski.
Unlike skis, a snowboard is used by fastening both feet attached through boots fitting within boot bindings to a single board. The snowboard is ridden in a standing position facing sideways with the feet positioned transversely across the snowboard. One foot is fixed near the front of the board (nose) and the other fixed near the back of the board (tail).
A number of different binding systems exist for holding the user's booted feet in position on the board. Generally, these bindings can be attached to the board at different angles to allow the user to adjust the angle or stance that the user prefers for snowboarding. When the user is not snowboarding, but when moving on level areas, for example, through chair lift lines, the customary practice is for the snowboarder to remove his or her back foot from its binding leaving a front foot fixed to the binding in transverse position pushing with the free foot in a scooter-type fashion. This mode of movement will be called “skateboarding” to distinguish it from “snowboarding” in which the user is gliding under the force of gravity down a slope. During skateboarding, the angle of the front binding places the user's foot at an awkward angle that may be uncomfortable or promote injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,430 issued Aug. 15, 2000, hereby incorporated by reference and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, describes a snowboard boot binding that allows the user to quickly shift his or her foot between a snowboarding angle and a skateboarding angle. This particular invention provides two detent positions, one providing a “hard-lock” for use while snowboarding, which requires manual activation of a lock lever, and the other providing a “soft-lock” for use while skateboarding, that does not require manual activation of a lock lever, but allows the binding to be moved by applying force on the binding by the user's foot. In this invention, the user's foot is held securely for downhill snowboarding, can be released for skateboarding by movement of the lever, and then quickly returned to the snowboarding position by applying appropriate force to the binding.
While this system provides a simple and intuitive, rapid shifting between skateboarding and snowboarding modes, the predetermined hard-lock and soft-lock detent positions provide a fixed angular separation that may not be right for every user. While the angle of the binding as mounted on the snowboard may be readily changed during installation, it is not conveniently adjustable, for example, on the slope.
One possible solution to this problem is to provide for a large number of detent positions so that the rotation of the binding is essentially continuous and adjustable on the slope. This approach, however, has a significant disadvantage in that multiple detent positions make it difficult to flexibly implement a hard and soft detent. Further, multiple detents require that the snowboarder carefully select the appropriate detent position each time the snowboard mode is changed significantly reducing the convenience and fluidity with which the binding may be used. Carelessness in selecting among multiple detents may undesirably change the user's stance angle between snowboarding runs.